Why They Stay is definitely not a flippant read, but a memorable one, and one from which few of the characters at the heart of the stories come out particularly well. Readers will find scandal, shock and a deep sense of discomfort at times, and many will not like the pretext, but the question is a valid one. Why did they stay? The reasons vary, naturally, but this tells the real-life tales, and gives a sense of how each scenario came to be.
-- James Hendicott review for IndieReader
No one could have written this book better than Anne Michaud, a columnist who has covered politicians for decades. Her observations are sharp and compelling and her prose shines with her unique signature for phraseology, crispness, and excellent diction. Why They Stay: Sex Scandals, Deals, and Hidden Agendas of Nine Political Wives is a very informative, engaging, and entertaining work.
-- Christian Sia review for Readers' Favorite
Anyone interested in politics or the dynamics of couples in public positions would definitely find this book of interest. Why They Stay: Sex Scandals, Deals and Hidden Agendas of Nine Political Wives by Anne Michaud is a poignant look at modern political partnerships whose message not only speaks to the validity of marriage in leadership positions but also to the principles and morals of our leaders themselves.
-- Kimberly Luyckx review for Reader Views
It's about time that a book such as Why They Stay should appear to comment on the wives of politicians and why they remain in place despite reports of infidelity and bad behaviors. Not only does this apply to the highest political offices past and present, but its message and analysis will reach many a marriage where friends may wonder about the reasons why a wife stays in the home after misconduct is uncovered. This is not to say that the two environments (political and personal) are identical and hold the same commitments and conundrums -- far from it. As Why They Stay points out, political pressures and purposes are similar to traditional marriages in some aspects and far different in others. It's a gripping production especially recommended for any interested in women's issues and political scandals and their aftermath.
— Diane Donovan review for Midwest Book Review
Anne Michaud breathes life into headlines that I thought I knew so well with fresh details about well-known political spouses like Hillary Clinton, Silda Wall Spitzer and Huma Abedin. Her thorough reporting helps cast them into an entirely new light to show how their personal struggles reflect the internal struggles women have faced for centuries.
-- Christine Haughney, former New York Times staff reporter
Marriage is a mysterious thing and political unions are even more so. In the engrossing and important Why They Stay Anne Michaud peers into the heart of some of the most famously troubled political marriages of the past 100 years in an attempt to understand why accomplished women ranging from Hillary Clinton to Silda Spitzer put up with men many others would have quickly kicked to the curb. Her answers will no doubt influence how we think about these scandals going forward -- not to mention the ones still to come.
--Helaine Olen, author of Pound Foolish
It’s a story we’ve heard often: Prominent politicians suddenly find themselves ensnared in humiliatingly public sex scandals, but their wives decide to stay with them. With a prodigious amount of research and deft storytelling skill, Anne Michaud goes beyond the headlines and explores the stories of both spouses, on both sides of the Atlantic, revealing the pain, the loyalty, and the calculations behind the wives’ decisions. Every political couple should read it.
-- Bob Keeler, author and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist
